How Artificial Intelligence could affect workplace safety, a trench collapse results in felony charges for an employer and a preview of the 2019 Congress & Expo were among the top occupational and health stories featured on ISHN.com this week.
An oilfield company has been ordered to pay more than $2 million in damages related to a worker fatality at its Williston, North Dakota facility. C&J Well Services – formerly called Nabors Completion and Production Services (NCPS) – pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court to a willful violation of a federal statute requiring that tanks be cleaned before welding.
More than 130 organizations signed a petition (PDF) sent to OSHA, demands for stronger protections for workers exposed to extreme heat. Joining the petition were former OSHA Directors Dr. Eula Bingham and Dr. David Michaels, former California/OSHA Director Ellen Widess, heat illness prevention researcher Dr. Marc Schenker and 89 other individuals.
The Trump administration yesterday announced plans to ease regulations requiring oil and gas companies to repair methane leaks – a move drawing opposition from the industry, as well as environmental groups.
Methane is a greenhouse gas and a major contributor to climate change. It is emitted during the production and transport of coal, natural gas, and oil and also results from certain agricultural practices.
While the military is working on weaponizing drones – including equipping them with machine guns – the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is warning the general public that attaching a dangerous weapon to a drone and sending it skyward is illegal.
Nonetheless, some drone owners have attached guns, bombs, fireworks and even – according to the FAA – flamethrowers to their drones.
The EPA is proposing to designate 20 chemical substances as High-Priority Substances for upcoming risk evaluations, per a statutory requirement under the 2016 amendments to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) by. The proposed designation is a required step in a new process of reviewing chemical substances currently in commerce under the amended TSCA.
OSHA has cited Arbre Group Holding – doing business as Holli-Pac Inc. – for willful and serious violations of workplace safety and health standards at its Holley, New York, facility. The company, which packages frozen fruits and vegetables for retailers, faces a total of $200,791 in penalties.
In the wake of revelations that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) allowed aircraft manufacturer Boeing to handle the safety analysis for its airliners – revelations that followed two fatal crashes of Boeing’s 737 MAX, the U.S. Department of Transportation is firming up its new Safety Oversight and Certification Advisory Committee (SOCAC).
The employer of a man killed in a trench collapse last year in Colorado has been charged with manslaughter, according to the Granby Police Department.
The June 14, 2018 incident claimed the life of Rosario Martinez-Lopez, who was working in a trench at a condominium project when the collapse occurred. By the time emergency crews dug him out, he was unresponsive.
Two themes emerged this week in the safety and health violations OSHA issued to non-complying companies: workers endangered by fall and trenching hazards.
L N Framing, Inc., a residential and commercial framing contractor, was cited for exposing employees to fall hazards at a Jacksonville, Florida worksite. The company faces $58,343 in penalties for failing to ensure that employees used a fall protection system while installing roof trusses and interior framing on the second floor of a residential home under construction.
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